A major Mississauga sports venue has a new name, and the change is anything but routine. The facility long known as the Paramount Fine Foods Centre will now be called the Mississauga Sports and Entertainment Centre, after the City of Mississauga ended its long-term agreement with the restaurant chain and alleged the company owes it $1.6 million.
The agreement between the city and Paramount Fine Foods gave the company both naming rights and concession privileges at the building, which the city owns and operates. The venue hosts sports games and was also the site of former Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion's funeral.
The change was confirmed on Monday, when Paramount Fine Foods CEO Mohamed Fakih announced the end of the sponsorship.
Like every sponsorship, there comes a time when one chapter ends and another begins,” he wrote in a post. “After more than a decade, we’ve made the decision to conclude our sponsorship and redirect our community investment toward new initiatives and opportunities across Mississauga.
Fakih's post framed the move as a business decision. But days later, city staff told a different story, saying the contract was terminated early because the company allegedly failed to pay the city more than a million dollars.
The City tried its best to work with Paramount but was unable to reach a resolution and receive payment,” a city spokesperson said. “The City’s primary goal is protecting taxpayer dollars. Paramount Fine Foods owes the City of Mississauga $1,600,000.
According to Global News, the city plans to pursue legal action in an effort to recover the money. Paramount Fine Foods did not respond to questions sent by the outlet on Tuesday about the alleged debt or the potential lawsuit.
Mayor Carolyn Parrish also weighed in, suggesting the dispute should have stayed out of public view.
It is unfortunate that the owner of Paramount has chosen to move these discussions into the public realm,” Parrish wrote in a statement posted to social media.
For residents, the immediate change is the name on the building. The arena, located on Mississauga's north end near Highway 407, has carried the Paramount Fine Foods name for more than a decade, during which the Lebanese-founded chain became one of the city's most recognizable homegrown brands. The venue is a familiar stop for local sports fans and has hosted major civic events, including McCallion's funeral in 2023.
It remains to be seen whether a new naming-rights sponsor will be sought for the building, and whether the city's legal action will recover the $1.6 million it says it is owed. For now, the facility will operate under the city's own banner as the Mississauga Sports and Entertainment Centre.
